[viroy]

When setting up an operation and choosing a tool, in the 'tool dimensions' there is a 'center cutting' checkbox option...
What does that do?

I always checkmark that for square endmills, but should I uncheck that option for a facemill with inserts since the center area of the tool cannot cut?

[awerby]

Right; a tool that can't cut out the center can't plunge directly into the work without crashing. It will need a pre-existing hole to dive into before it starts cutting. BTW not all square-ended endmills are center-cutting either - you should inspect each one before assuming it can plunge-cut.

[viroy]

Yes, my larger endmills do not have flutes which cut to the center, I use a spiral lead-in to deal with this.
But how does checking/unchecking that option affect/change the operations?
I am not seeing what this option does

[Niels_CAM]

The Center Cutting value defines if the tool is capable of plunging into the material. When not ticked, two things happen:
- Since the tool is not center cutting, the minimum amount of (sideways) space needed to ramp the tool safely into the stock increases, leaving narrow pockets or parts thereof unmachined (especially visible when using Area Roughing.
- The Simulation will detect plunging into the material with a non-center-cutting-tool as a collision. This happens for instance when engraving with a tool which was created before the option was present, in which case the tool defaulted to non-center-cutting. Older tools may need to be updated according to their center-cutting capabilities.